Premier Christy Clark apologizes

250 posts in this topic

VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier Christy Clark has issued an apology and launched a review after a leaked document showed her government planned to win ethnic votes with provincial resources.

Clark says the leaked document didn't recognize there are lines that cannot be crossed in conducting outreach and some of the recommendations are absolutely inappropriate.

In a statement, Clark says she wants to sincerely apologize to British Columbians.

The opposition NDP released documents out of the premier's office that proposed to woo the ethnic vote with the use of the multiculturalism ministry.

The document was written by Clark's deputy chief of staff and sent to the personal email addresses of eight people.

Clark has appointed her deputy minister to conduct a review to make sure no government resources were inappropriately used.

A draft copy of the Multicultural Strategic Outreach Plan, leaked Wednesday by the B.C. NDP, outlines how high-profile members of the PO, including Pamela Martin, were instructed to work hand-in-hand with caucus and party staffers to strengthen the Liberal brand in ethnic communities.

So in a sense they want to use tax dollars to give meaningless apologies ( they gave an example ) in part to get the ethnic vote. And now that its been leaked so is offering a meaningless apology and launching a review?

Earth to Premier - your the boss - launching a review for your documents shows zero leadership. What an embarrassment in this day and age. She says she recognizes there are lines that shouldn't be crossed and the recommendations are completely inappropriate. The sooner we get to the polls the better .....

Share on other sites

A B.C. Liberal Party election strategy to win more ethnic votes will backfire, according to one long-time social activist.

The documents leaked by the NDP yesterday reveal a wide-ranging plan with links to senior officials in Premier Christy Clark's office to win ethnic votes in the upcoming British Columbia election.

The January 2012 documents outline a proposed outreach plan involving the premier's office, the multiculturalism ministry, the government caucus and the B.C. Liberal Party.

The leaked documents were sent from the e-mail account of B.C. Premier Christy Clark's Deputy Chief of Staff last January.(Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)

Charan Gill, the CEO of Progressive Intercultural Community Services, says people will see past what he calls an insincere gesture.

"I think it’s too late,” he said. “It won’t work.”

Gill, who has also been an NDP candidate, isn’t surprised the Liberals have worked up a strategy to appeal to an important demographic just before an election.

Gill says unlike the NDP, the Liberals have never really given MLAs from ethnic communities the powerful profile that goes with senior cabinet posts.

"They won’t be able to resonate with ethnic communities because people know that anybody who went with the Liberals from the Indian community has been dismantled one way or the other,” Gill said.

The leaked document also calls on the B.C. government to "correct historical wrongs" within ethnic communities, like apologizing for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, which saw a ship carrying 356 passengers forced to return to India after a two-month stand-off in Vancouver Harbour.

But Gill says voters will see past those pre-election gestures.

'Reaching out to communities'

Meanwhile, NDP House Leader John Horgan says building support in ethnic communities is laudable for all governments, but the documents indicate election-related planning was to be conducted by taxpayer-funded workers, some working out of the premier's office.

"No one has any dispute about the rich multicultural heritage in B.C. and the obligation of government to celebrate that and to build upon various communities in every corner of the province," said Horgan.

"What we object to, and I think every British Columbian would object to, is their tax dollars being used to prop up the B.C. Liberal election machinery."

Multiculturalism Minister John Yap, appointed in September 2012, says the plan is more than a year old and does not completely portray the government's plans for engaging with ethnic communities.

"Since coming into the role as minister responsible for multiculturalism, we're reaching out to communities and not following through on some of the ideas that were listed," he said.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I am not sure they will survive until the planned end of the sitting of parliament. I would not bet on them being able to survive any confidence type motions at this point. All it will take is for the news media or any MLA to publicly call on anyone voting that voting yes means supporting stuff like this and enough will abstain in my opinion that the house may fall early

That and is Micheal Smyths comments that there are more documents? Or was he referring only to these?

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Looks like they are trying really hard to hand the election victory over to the NDP. It's more and more looking like it's time to sell and jump off this soon to be sinking ship soon to be ran by the (shudders) NDP.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

If the NDP does get in, and does screw up (which is looking pretty darn likely right now) it'll be as much the Liberals' fault for being so terrible as it is the NDP's fault for actually doing the screwing up.